====== TEXT SCREEN ====== The Video Display Generator (VDG) creates a 32 character wide by 16 character tall display using 512 bytes of RAM and built-in character bitmaps from internal mask ROM or stored externally drawn in hardware to a 256 x 192 display. The mask ROM only held 64 bitmaps of 6 by 8 bits for the core CoCo ASCII character set. Using an external ROM allowed the use of the full 128 bitmaps of 8 by 12 bits for each character. The VDG's most noticeable characteristic is the ... interesting ... choice of color palette for text screens. This means you have a combination of eight text screen modes available from the VDG: * Blackish characters on bright green background using internal mask ROM character bitmaps * Bright green characters on blackish background using internal mask ROM character bitmaps * Blackish characters on bright orange background using internal mask ROM character bitmaps * Bright orange characters on blackish background using internal mask ROM character bitmaps * Blackish characters on bright green background using external ROM character bitmaps * Bright green characters on blackish background using external ROM character bitmaps * Blackish characters on bright orange background using external ROM character bitmaps * Bright orange characters on blackish background using external ROM character bitmaps Example black text on green using internal mask ROM characters: \\ {{:tandy_color_computer:microsoft_easter_egg.jpg?direct&400|}} ===== RTS ===== Return to [[:Tandy Color Computer:]]